Cream cheese tomato and basil sandwich

*Disclaimer:This post is sponsored by BlogHer & Kettle Brand Chips. I was compensated for creating a summer inspired recipe that pairs with the chips. As always, content, photography & opinions are my own.

This cream cheese tomato and basil sandwich is the perfect summertime picnic lunch.

I grew up a deprived child. My mother hated (and still hates) peanut butter. Do you know what that meant for lunch time in elementary school? No PB&J sandwiches. Ever. Instead, I was the weird kid with cream cheese & jelly sandwiches, on wheat bread and usually with a piece of fruit in my lunchbox instead of whatever cool, highly processed snack was in at the moment. Thanks, mom.

Come the summer time though, jelly got replaced with tomatoes and without any lunchtime kids around to judge the weird creation, I openly loved it. I have memories of bare feet, swimming pools, playing soccer in the yard and these sandwiches all woven together somewhere in the back of my head. So when I got the chance to talk about what I pack in my summer time picnic basket with Kettle Brand Chips, this combination was the first thing to come to mind. Except this time, it has an edge of maturity with the addition of basil & balsamic vinegar. In fact, a few weekends ago we decided to take advantage of the state park not even 5 miles from our house that we’ve never been to in the almost 4 years of living here and packed up a quick lunch to eat on the picnic tables there. In my bag, a cream cheese, tomato & basil sandwich. In Ulysses’, a peanut butter & jelly. What I used to wish for as a kid now has nothing on my cream cheese combination, go figure. For Ginger, a lot of pathetic whimpering wishing for a bite of either. And for both of us, a big bag of Sea Salt Kettle Brand Chips. Kettle Brand Chips are one of the few potato chips I’ll actually eat. Why? Simple, they actually taste like potatoes. The Sea Salt are my favorite because the ingredient list has 3 things. Potatoes, salt & oil. Crazy huh? A chip whose ingredients you can actually understand. What a novel idea. They were the perfect accompaniment to the cream cheese sandwich with their hint of salt and perfect crunch. Too bad mom didn’t know about these back in the day because I’m pretty sure they would’ve met her “whole” foods/all natural standards for lunch box inclusion. I’m betting the jealousy roles at the lunch table would have been reversed too. Chips > handi snacks.

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a grill pan (skillet with grill lines, used often to make panini’s) on medium heat. While the skillet is heating, lay the tortilla flat and sprinkle the cheese over the entire thing. Next, place the deli meat throughout the center of the tortilla. Add chopped tomatoes and lettuce along side the chicken. Add a line or two of ranch across the top. Place the tortilla with all of its toppings on the heated pan. When the cheese becomes melted, carefully remove the tortilla and place it on a plate. Once the tortilla has cooled enough for you to touch it, take the bottom end of the tortilla and fold it up about a quarter of the length of the tortilla, followed by rolling one side until you have a “burrito” fold. Place the wrap back on the pan, fold side down, just for a minute or so to ensure the wrap holds closed. Wrap in foil and place in your basket!

Note: A regular skillet or pan can be used to make these, I just really enjoy the crispy grill lines :)

Sweet Potato Fries:
I have made so many different recipes for these fries trying to find the perfect ones, and I think that I have recently found it! I like my fries to be more on the crispy side as opposed to the soggy or soft side, and this recipe is it!
View it here: http://www.everydaymaven.com/2013/crispy-baked-sweet-potato-fries/

Make sure to wash the grapes before you pack them, and cut your watermelon (cubed watermelon tends to be less messy than slices). Add some lemon, berries, mint, or cucumbers to your water before you head out and by the time you reach your destination your water will be flavourful and refreshing!

We always throw together sandwiches/wraps with whatever veggies we have on hand, but the one constant is popcorn! Sounds silly, but it’s the multi-purpose food – you can eat it and feed it to the ducks!

We usually like to take some frozen strawberry lemonade with us, too (TJ’s low cal lemonade blended with frozen strawberries). Super easy!

No Peanut Butter as a child?!? I am so sorry! My picnic basket actually includes peanut butter… I up the typical PB&J sandwich by grilling it, like a grilled cheese sandwich (usually on the Foreman), so it all stays together and is a little crispy!

I don’t remember the last time I’ve been on a real picnic, but whenever I go hiking I usually pack myself a little snack/lunch to eat at some point. I love munching on carrots, apples, pretzels, and dried mangoes :)

I used to live in Australia and we would always picnic after checking out the amazing farmer’s markets…the typical spread included seasonal fruits, yummy dips–sweet chili apricot was my favorite, and some turkish bread for dipping.

Whole wheat bread, thin sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard, cheddar cheese…. we like to build our sandwiches fresh when we picnic… we do take peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too but they are for dessert :-) sometimes we take chips… I will be sure to try these kettle brand sea salt ones this Sunday. ..and we love to take watermelon too!

A wrap. One of my favorites from school – I was often kid with weird food, but my friends loved it… they would trade me my real food for their processed food. To this day my favorite wrap is simple… made on a whole wheat tortilla with cream cheese slathered on, then some turkey breast, tomato, romaine, mushrooms, and pickle. hmmm!

I can’t believe you were deprived of pb as a kid and didn’t even have an allergy to it. How awful! Glad you found love in another sandwich though. And even though I know this totally isn’t anywhere close to what you have pictured above – you have me craving a tuna sandwich so I guess that’s what I’d have to pack in my picnic basket (say it like yogi though k?) ;)

I’m all about the pressed sandwiches for picnics myself; some crusty bread, a layer of pesto & mayo, boiled potato slices, hardboiled egg slices, tuna, olives, and greens all smushed under a cast-iron skillet for a few hours. Sandwich perfection!

Potato chips are a must for any picnic! A fun tradition my parents had (that I hadn’t thought about in ages) was stopping at the grocery deli to get a rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and corn for a quick and easy ‘picnic’ that required zero time or clean-up in their kitchen and was so fun to bring to state parks.

Great looking sandwich! In the summer, when tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes and not cardboard, I love tomato and basil sandwiches! Our picnic basket usually has hummus and veggie sandwiches and some fruit.

ha i loved your story about pb + j’s. i never had them growing up either because my dad is from argentina (definitely never ate pb in his life). i usually had leftover dinners for lunch which, let me tell ya, were notttt impressive to other elementary kids! haha i love kettle chips too though! i would probably pack a sliced egg & veggie sammie :) + chips obvi

Egg salad (on toast, in a wrap, or on a bed colorful greens) is ALWAYS a must! I put celery, chopped dill pickles, green onions, avocado (sub for mayo), spicy mustard, pepper, a dash of cumin, and semi hard boiled eggs in it. I could eat this for days.

One of my family’s favorite foods inside my picnic basket is Chicken and Slaw wraps! They are so easy to make epecially if you use rotisserie chickens. Mix the chicken with some coleslaw, ranch dressing and sweet pickle relish, place on a wrap and roll it. your family will love it!

No matter if our picnic is a simple sandwich affair or a gourmet BBQ with skewers of teriyaki steak or chicken, we always include our vintage tablecloths in our picnic basket. I have several wonderful old tablecloths from the 1950s splashed with colorful flowers and designs (and a few indelible stains) that always conjure fond memories and bring back the happy Ghosts of Picnics Past.http://greetingcarduniverse.com/eloquence

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Hi, I'm Gina. I like food. A lot. That's what you'll find here with the occasional smattering of fitness & sarcasm. Learn More →

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